What's In A Name
by fanreading
Summary: Albus Potter is a nice kid with nothing much to worry about. Or at least he was until an encounter with strangers that change his fate forever. Now he has to learn all he can to defend those he loves and the problems only increase as he enters school and uncovers more of his father's history. An evil plot is brewing and only Albus can uncover and face it.
1. Dave

**This is my very first fanfiction so please go easy on me! My grammar is not the best so if any beta person that likes my story enough and would do me the honor of being my beta, please contact me. I enjoyed writing this story and hope everyone likes it. Reviews would be greatly appreciated and don't hesitate to ask questions. Also, I know the way I have the boys talking seems a little too mature, but I intended to make them a lot smarter than other children. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Only the plot and David.**

**Chapter 1: David**

"Come on, Al!" urged a boy in Muggle clothing, his brown hair gleaming in the sun as he ran with a plastic toy of a robot that could bend into an eighteen wheeler.

"Wait up, Dave!" Albus Potter shouted back as he tried to catch up to his friend.

David had a head start when he had exclaimed "last one to the park's a rotten egg" and began running before Albus understood what he had said. Muggle sayings were still a little new to him. His dad used a few now and then, but he was sure "rotten egg" would only be used by seven year olds like him and Dave.

"Hah! Yes!" David jumped in triumph as he reached the wooden chippings of the Muggle playground that had swings, a jungle gym, and two slides on a high contraption of metal. He started climbing the sturdy black stairs and headed to one of the slides to let his toy slide down by itself.

"Get Optimus, Al" he said over the plastic head that was part of the slide. He grinned as Albus reached down and picked up the red, white and blue Autobot.

"You're weird, Al" Dave said, his head bending to the left as he watched his friend examine the toy as if he had never had anything like it before.

Albus couldn't count the number times his friend said that to him. He said it to him every time since they had first met up to play, which was more than a year ago.

David had first seen Albus with grass and dirt all over him, wearing a cloak and carrying a small broomstick. Since then, Albus always said unusual things and occasionally carried odd objects he wasn't familiar with. Albus was fun, he reasoned, and always stood up for him when older kids tried to pick on him all because he had to wear too old clothes since his father had lost his job. His new friend didn't seem to care one bit, and even said he liked the cartoon characters on his shirts. They were the best of friends.

"Nu-uh" Albus responded, looking at the toy in wonder. He was use to toys, sure, but not ones that didn't move on their own. He knew Muggle toys could move with batteries, but a lot of them stayed still. He tore his green eyes away from the plastic robot and smiled up at David. David always brought different toys with him every time they met, as if he knew Albus wasn't familiar with Muggle toys. But Albus knew David would never guess his unusual friend was actually a wizard. He wished he could bring some of his own toys, but that would mean telling something that wasn't supposed to be known by Muggles and maybe, to Albus' distress, scare his Muggle friend away. He had a feeling his friend wouldn't be against his being a wizard, but he couldn't chance telling him either way. It would mean the end of their friendship by his father's job and the look of disappointment on his parent's faces when they had made it clear that Muggles couldn't know of their existence.

Albus remembered the day he came upon David. He had been walking angrily away from the Shuntbumps game James had decided to play in the middle of their Quidditch game. As a result, he had dirt and grass all over him by being knocked off his broomstick. It was lucky, he now saw, that he had decided to walk instead of fly over Stoadshead Hill because not half a dozen steps more had he seen a small boy his own age being picked on by a small group of boys a couple of years older than they were. He only had to observe the situation for a few seconds to see that, in addition to the unfair number of kids against the boy, their reason for tormenting him was because, if their boorish gestures were anything to go by, of the old clothes he was wearing. Albus didn't have to think twice before running towards the fray brandishing his broomstick at the lot of them making them scatter like the cowards they were. After they had all fled he introduced himself and they had been friends ever since, sneaking away from their houses for a few hours of fun. That was until both of the boy's parents, after finding their respective houses void of their child's presence and worrying, had gotten mad at their respective son for not telling them where he had gone. Albus' parents were the first to get on to him and not too long after David's parents did the same with their son.

Now it was assumed, quite accurately, by both sets of parents that when their sons were away it meant that they were either at the other's house or at the park and as long as they checked in within the hour it was okay to stay out for a few more. Phone numbers were exchanged (Albus' parents decided for them to have one in order for their children to be knowledgeable of the Muggle world) and calls were made to the other's house to make sure their child was there and not lost or hurt when their child neglected to tell them that he was going to visit his friend's house. It was not an uncommon occurrence for either of the boy's parents to go to the park to scold their child for not telling them where he was going before he left the house. The last several months, however, saw neither set of parents since both children had adhered to their rules after having got tired of being scolded after a certain number of times.

"Yeah huh" David said sliding down the slide to join Albus on the ground.

"You're it!" Albus shouted, tapping David with Optimus before taking off.

Soon he and David were chasing each other around the playground. They had claimed the playground for themselves once the bullying group found they were no match against the duo. Albus suspected it was due to his accidental magic, which happened quite often, to his surprise, which had them win the numerous skirmishes that had occurred in the past.

"How long do you think we've been away?" Albus asked David after catching his breath, his mind briefly fluttering to the multiple occasions he had been scolded, much to his brother's amusement, because he hadn't bothered to tell either of his parents where he was off to. James didn't want to hang out with him and his Muggle friend and instead opted to stay over at their grandparent's place to visit with their cousins that constantly visited the burrow. It wasn't that Albus didn't enjoy staying or visiting with his family, he just liked being on his own for a while and found socializing with a small group more pleasant than with a large one.

"Maybe fifteen minutes?" David asked more than answered.

Albus shook his head. It had been a lot more than fifteen minutes. He often forgot that the schooling he received by his own parents and his Aunt Hermione, who even he realized in his young age, was a very smart witch, gave him a bigger breadth of knowledge than the children that went to school. He had no doubt David was smart, but figured that his friend most likely hadn't grasped the concept of learning how to feel how much time had passed, especially when having fun. His older brother even had trouble with it most of the time, too.

"At least forty-five, I think" Albus said, "I think I should head back. I didn't tell my mum where I was going before I left and I don't want another licking like that other time I didn't say where I was beforehand." His father had also recently warned him not to stay out of the house that often during this summer. He didn't give a specific reason why not, but Albus knew it had something to do with his father's Auror job. He didn't like seeing the worried look on his father's face that day; it wasn't a look he wore often. Albus had always seen the determined and confident look on his father's face when he talked about his job. That he didn't have such an assuring facial feature when he gave his three children, even Lily, who was five and didn't go anywhere, his warning made Albus a little afraid.

"Alright" David agreed. Albus turned his hand out to give Optimus back but found his friend shaking his head.

"I want you to have him, Al," David said, "He's my favorite toy and I know you'll love him just as much as I do."

Albus was both touched and confused. "Why do you want to give me your favorite toy?"

"Well," David began slowly, as if choosing his words carefully, "I don't want to accuse your brother, but I noticed you haven't really brought any toys to play with and didn't really have any at your house except for a few torn off arms and legs we found under your couch and figured you'd like to have a whole one. Just make sure he doesn't blow him up" he finished, offering a lopsided grin.

Albus' face turned from momentarily shocked to a full out smile before he hugged his friend. In truth, he actually thought for a second that David knew that James actually did blow up his toys when he got a hold of their mother's wand a number of weeks ago, but quickly realized it was just another Muggle saying. Above that, though, he was truly happy that David would give him his favorite toy. James rarely wanted to share the numerous moving figurines he had and Albus knew David didn't have a lot of toys of his own as it was. For his friend to willingly give the favorite of his small collection to him touched Albus above anything he knew before. He felt kind of bad, too, because he had toys-magic ones. Ones he wasn't allowed to show or play with in the presence of his friend, either in his house or out of it. What he would give to be able to play with his uncle's joke products from his shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and be able to share them with David.

"Thanks, Dave!" Albus said after pulling away. He never had a Muggle toy before. "And I will keep it away from James."

Just before they were about to turn in opposite directions after giving assurances to meet up again in a few days, was when Albus felt it. The air turned cold as the little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end seconds before he heard a loud _POP_ some feet away from him. Fear flooded through him as he knew it was neither his parents nor any of his extended family that apparated behind him.


	2. Stance

**A/N: I just want to inform everyone that this is going to be a long series. The next semester of school is beginning on Monday so I really don't know how consistent the updates will be. Hopefully it will be every Saturday at around the same hour. Please review if you like the story, be nice if you don't. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Just the plot and David.**

**Chapter 2: Stance**

_Just before they were about to turn in opposite directions after giving assurances to meet up again in a few days, was when Albus felt it. The air turned cold as the little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end seconds before he heard a loud POP some feet away from him. Fear flooded through him as he knew it was neither his parents nor any of his extended family that apparated behind him._

Albus saw David's eyes grow big before he turned around to see a masked person in a black cloak. Before anyone could react more loud _Popping _sounds brought two more of the mysterious figures into existence next to the first one.

"Rowle, get the Potter boy" said one of the second men that had appeared. He then waved his wand, casting a nonverbal spell and then rested his hand at his side, clearly not feeling the need to use it against two weak children. "We don't need the Muggle."

The last sentence told Albus all he needed to know about their intentions. He whipped around to face a shocked David as the three cloaked figures started to advance towards them. "David, you need to run," he said urgently, trying to keep the fear he felt out of his voice. He didn't know who the men were, but he knew without a doubt that they were the reason for his father's warning. And he knew his friend's life was in terrible danger.

"David, run!" he shouted as the men drew nearer, bringing David out of his surprised state by the intensity of the declaration; the words now soaked with fear.

"But-" his friend began to say, a tremor in his voice from realizing Albus' frightened state at seeing the three men.

"NOW!" Albus yelled, pushing his friend away as he turned to face the small party that had stopped a mere five feet away.

The one called Rowle started to laugh in a derisive manner which made goose bumps form on Albus' arms. The pounding of his friend's feet offered little comfort to him as he faced the towering figures before him. They were much bigger now than they were when they were some distance away, especially the laughing one. He was the biggest of the three and Albus' instincts told him that the man was a savage. He gripped his friend's gift tightly in his hand as he set what he hoped to be a determined look on his face, a tingling sensation going through him. He didn't know if it was his nerves or his dismay that caused it.

The man stopped laughing as he saw the expression on the boy's face. "Impudent brat," he spat, discarding his mask and revealing an aged face with hollow, sunken eyes. "You think you can stop us, do you?"

Rowle quickly pulled his wand out and Albus barely had enough time to prepare himself for the hex the man sent his way. To everyone's amazement, the red spell hit against an invisible barrier about a foot away from where Albus stood. Rowle's face screwed up in annoyance as he cast a few more hexes and a jinx in rapid succession all of which bounced off of Albus' barrier.

"Enough playing games, Rowle" growled the man who hadn't spoken a word since first apparating in with the others. "Azkaban doesn't dull one's talent that much as to not be able to hex a seven year old child."

Rowle roared with rage and threw out a jinx, bellowing "_Flipendo_!"

The powerful spell broke through Albus' defense and he was blown off his feet, landing hard on his back. Having the air knocked out of his lungs from the impact, Albus desperately tried to breathe in oxygen, without much success, for a few agonizing seconds. After the brief yet torturous suffocation, he tried to gain his breath and get back up but only managed to roll over before he was cruelly slammed onto the ground again by a large foot that was rammed into his shoulder blade. He let out a howl of pain as his left collar bone snapped under the combined force and weight of the brutal act.

"That'll teach you, you little brat," Rowle snarled.

"Albus!" David's voice called from a distance where there was a cluster of trees after he heard his friend's cry of pain. He couldn't simply abandon his friend no matter how scared he felt at seeing the men appearing out of nothing but air. They had to be doing magic, he figured. It would explain why Albus had that broomstick with him the first time they met. Didn't witches and wizards fly on brooms? That brother of his had a broomstick, too, and that one man had a wand he had waved after he appeared. He came out from behind the tree he had hidden behind after he had reached it a few seconds earlier and started to run to where Albus was helpless on the ground with the man's foot on his back.

"David, run away!" Albus shouted back as loud as he could with whatever amount of air he could inhale under the pressure of the foot still on his back. He tried to maneuver a way to better lift his head off the ground to make sure David did what he said so that he was out of danger; the pain of moving almost unbearable. He felt his heart fall into his stomach when he finally managed to lift his head and see that David was running back towards them. There was no way a Muggle would be able to take on three wizards, much less a child Muggle against dark and cruel grown wizards. Albus knew he had to stop his friend before it was too late.

"What are you thinking, David, there's nothing you can do!" Albus yelled, successfully stopping David in his tracks, "Go and get help!"

Albus felt relief when David nodded and quickly turned around again, heading in the direction of his house. Albus knew they would most likely be gone to who knew where way before the time it would take David to reach his home, but it would mean his friend was safely away.

"Not so fast," said Rowle, hauling Albus up to his feet roughly by his right arm making Albus cry out in pain again. "You're too eager to get your little friend to safety and not think about yourself for my taste. Disgustingly like your idiotic father, you are. I'll teach you the same lesson Bellatrix taught him in the Department of Mysteries. You can even call it a favor."

Before Albus could do anything, his left arm dangling at his side because it was torturous to move, though he tried, his right arm held so tight his fingers were going numb, Rowle took aim and shot a green curse from his wand.

Albus watched in horror as the spell, which he thought might not have traveled as far as his friend was, made contact with his friend's back. David fell to the ground, dirt and dust rising up from the hard impact on the dry surface. Somewhere in the back of Albus' mind he knew his friend was dead before he had hit the ground, but refused to acknowledge it. David, he reasoned on the surface of his mind, was just hit with a spell that immobilized him, or even made him unconscious.

He wanted to shout over to David to get up and run home, but he couldn't find his voice. It was as if his brain had temporarily forgotten how to talk and had decided to cut off his vocal cords to ensure nothing could be uttered. Why didn't David just get up already, Albus found himself wondering. The spell couldn't have lasted that long, right?

Albus kept going over possible reasons why his friend wasn't getting up and didn't realize he was being hauled backwards. It was as if his mind separated itself from his body and what he saw and heard barely registered. He thought he heard the men talking about an Anti-Apparition Charm being lifted.

"Potter is likely to be here soon," he heard one of the men say, maybe the one that had first talked when they had all first arrived. "A decoy only lasts so long. We need to leave now."

"We can just get him to tell us here," Rowle said, "We have his brat, he's not going to refuse to talk."

"Don't be a fool, Thorfinn" snapped the other man, "He's sure to arrive with other Aurors with him. We've been over this before. Stick to the plan. He could Portkey here any second for all we know."

Albus had spotted his friend's gift on the ground a few feet away during the conversation and was half aware that he was trying to free his arm from something gripping it. He needed to get to Optimus. He didn't want David to think he was neglecting to take care of his gift when he woke up and would see it on the ground.

"Let them come, we can stop them all. Stop struggling, brat," Rowle barked, shaking Albus by his arm as he spoke.

"Albus!" came a distressed voice from a distance. Albus recognized it, but had never heard it sound so worried or afraid. "Albus, run!"

Albus looked toward Stoadshead Hill and saw his father running madly towards the group, his wand shooting off light as spells shot at the three men left and right, his face holding the most terrifying look of fury Albus had ever seen that he himself almost felt frightened.

The two men stepped in front of Rowle and Albus shouting to Rowle to get away from the area so he could apparate away first with the boy. Rowle reluctantly started moving in the opposite direction, dragging Albus roughly by the arm he had yet to let go of. Albus came out of the stupor he was in as he saw his father fight against the two men in black, fiercely wielding his wand like a sword that looked more like a limb than a separate object.

"Let go of me!" Albus yelled at the man who made no indication that he heard the child as he walked at an angle, deflecting a few stray and aimed spells that came at him. Albus didn't want to be near this monster, this animal that hurt his friend. "Let go of me," he commanded in a low and angry voice, the tingle running through his body more intense than it did before. Rowle pulled his hand away as if he'd been burnt and turned an outraged face to Albus.

He raised his hand to either strike or curse, but Albus was quicker. He raised his left arm, the pain a dull ache in his adrenalin state, and knocked Rowle back without touching him. It was as if a strong gust of wind had blown back Rowle's arm and caused him to stagger back. Albus didn't hesitate at the opening he had as he ran forward and threw out his right hand, which was where he quickly concentrated the tingling feeling to, hitting Rowle in the middle of his chest, making Rowle reel in pain, his eyes popping unnaturally and his mouth open as if to scream, but no sound coming out.

Albus knew, even as the battle ensued and he saw other Aurors out of the corner of his eye, which must have arrived earlier to subdue the men wearing masks, that he had caused Rowle's heart to stop. The merciless man was already on his knees, his life slipping out of his frightened blue eyes looking into the unblinking green ones of Albus', before spells from at least three different people hit him and he fell dead on the ground.


	3. Collision With Calamity

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just the plot.**

**Chapter 3: Collision With Calamity **

_Albus knew, even as the battle ensued and he saw other Aurors out of the corner of his eye, which must have arrived earlier to subdue the men wearing masks, that he had caused Rowle's heart to stop. The merciless man was already on his knees, his life slipping out of his frightened blue eyes looking into the unblinking green ones of Albus', before spells from at least three different people hit him and he fell dead on the ground._

"Clavicula Sano" said the Auror medi-witch before Albus. She was immediately sent for once his father found that his collar bone was broken when he was making sure Albus was all right.

In the fogginess that had momentarily clouded his brain, Albus could hear his father telling him that he was worried.

"Albus," said Harry in a soft voice, trying once again to get through to his son, "please, son, please try to listen. I know how horrible it is to see what you saw just now. I'm going to take you back home, come on."

Harry began to move Albus away from the body of Rowle little by little. His son was still in shock from seeing the Death Eater killed in front of him and, most likely, Harry figured, the murder of his friend, David. "My poor boy", Harry thought sadly, "having to face death at such an early age. This shouldn't have happened", his mind went on fiercely. But even as he thought it, he knew what should have happened and what did happen were two things that almost never met in agreement. "And David…" his thoughts faltered, heartache for the dead boy almost overcoming him. He tried to push the thoughts away as they became dark, asking what he would have done had it been Albus in David's position. Would it have been by his own hand that he would have killed Rowle instead of the combined hexes from himself and two other Aurors that had taken him down? His anger at Bellatrix with Sirius' death was one thing and he was very young then. He was a father now and his children were the priority in his life. He truly didn't know what he would have done.

An Auror walked toward them, giving Harry what looked to be a plastic Muggle toy. The object seemed to stir something in his son and he turned to placed it in his son's hand, hoping, perhaps, to get his son out of the comatose state he was in. To see his child look like a shell with nothing inside scared him more than looking in the face of Voldemort ever had.

Albus stared at the toy for a while, the awareness gradually coming back into his eyes. "This is David's gift" he said. "He gave it to me earlier. It's his favorite toy. Dave!" Albus called, looking around.

Harry felt his heart sink even as Albus saw the small mound of his friend through the gaps that were made by the three Aurors that had made their way to the body once the other two Death Eaters were apprehended. Albus' face fell from the small smile he had on in the hopes of seeing his friend to one of disbelief and then finally to what could only be described as desolate.

Harry tried to get him away as soon as he could, saying, "We need to go home now, Albus." He only got two steps from Albus before Albus spoke, first low, then louder, "Dave. Dave! Dad, tell me Dave's okay, he's only been knocked out, right?"

Harry had to hold on tight to his son as he tried to run to where David's body lay when he remained quiet for too long, not able to give an answer to his child's question. "Dave," Albus shouted, his voice full of anguish, "Dave, get up, you have to get up! David, get up!"

Albus didn't notice that the Aurors around him were trying to avoid looking at him, their faces ranging from pained to somber.

"Albus," Harry said, trying to make his voice even, "Albus, he's gone. There's nothing you can do," his voice broke at the end of the sentence. "I'm sorry," he choked out. Albus struggled only for a second more before his body went limp. He had never heard his father, who was always brave and strong, sound so full of grief and sorrow. "Dad has been in this same situation before," his consciousness suddenly grasped from a place Albus was surprised was working at the moment.

The realization he had been trying to hold off came crashing down on him in full force by the finality that was made by his father's agonized voice. It felt like time had briefly stopped, stopping his heart with it, only to have it beat painfully against his ribcage at a fast pace. He was surprised it worked at all with the holes he was sure were there. Something was forcedly removed from inside him, right where his heart was beating, and it suddenly felt wrong to be there. It was wrong for the sun to be shining as bright as it was. It was wrong for there not to be a single cloud in the sky. It was wrong that the wind still blew, as if it didn't have a care in the world.

"I want to see him," Albus heard himself say. The words had escaped from his mouth before he thought about it but after they were spoken he realized that he did want to see his friend. He knew it was the last time he would be able to do so before David's body would be taken away.

"Albus-" his father began.

"I need to" Albus pressed. He could see the uncertainty in his father's face. "Please."

Harry looked at his son hard, weighing the consequences of what he was to do. Would it be easier to let his child see his dead friend and possibly have some closure or would seeing the body make him have worse nightmares than being shielded from it? He looked into his son's green eyes that had aged to look like they belonged more to an adult than to that of a child.

It only took a nod from his father to have Albus turn towards the direction of his friend and lead the way, his right hand holding on to his father's, his left gripping David's gift. The Aurors around them had first sent questioning glances to the two, but once seeing that Albus, with a sort of decided look on his young face, was leading his father they seemed to understand and delicately moved out of the way.

David had been turned over, his eyes closed. He would look to be sleeping if Albus didn't know what had truly happened. After a few minutes, Albus became aware that the loud breathing was coming from himself. He also came to realize that he was squeezing his father's hand very tight, making both their fingers lose circulation and turn an unnatural shade of white. His father hadn't made to move his hand at all and his face gave nothing away of the discomfort he may have felt.

Albus gradually loosened his grip as he looked back down to his best friend who would no longer open his eyes. Was it really not that long ago that they were playing together around the playground with no care in the world but the possibility of being scolded for not saying where they were? The fact that they were indeed doing just that seemed weird to Albus. He was sure he wouldn't have believed it if he himself wasn't one of the two actually there. He felt himself shudder at the actualization that so much could change in the blink of an eye. One second his friend was there, alive and well, and the next he was gone. It was both simple and complex. Both unacceptable and improper yet oddly appropriate. It felt weird to Albus that the line of life and death was thinner than a thread yet so absolute in its border.

"Does it hurt?" Albus asked.

Harry hesitated, knowing full well the question his son meant. One he knew he could give the answer to.

"The way he went, I mean," Albus elaborated, his mind briefly flashing to Rowle's pain filled face before forcefully pushing it back. He couldn't deal with thinking about what he did to the man just now. "He was hit by a green spell."

"The way David died," Harry said in a sort of flat and hollow tone of voice, his eyes far away, seeing another time than he was presently in, "is quicker and easier than falling asleep."

Albus briefly wondered how his father would know that, but knew the question and conversation was for another time. He turned away from his best friend's body to face his dad.

"I'm ready to go home," he said.

Harry picked him up, surprised, as he always was, at how light he was compared to his older brother, and was about to turn to apparate when Albus, who was hugging his father, said quietly, "Please don't tell James, Lily, or any of my cousins."

Harry knew what it was like to have people look at you with questions and pity in their eyes and said, "I promise" before apparating home with his young son.

**A/U: Yes, I took the part where Albus asks the question from the last book of HP. And Harry's answer to it, too. And also some of the things in the scene when Harry had to hold Albus back and say there was nothing he could do. I did say I didn't own HP. It just seemed appropriate to use it in this instance.**


	4. Fear Of What's Reflected

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Just the plot I'm writing!**

**Chapter 4: Fear Of What's Reflected**

"_I'm ready to go home," he said._

_Harry picked him up, surprised, as he always was, at how light he was compared to his older brother, and was about to turn to apparate when Albus, who was hugging his father, said quietly, "Please don't tell James, Lily, or any of my cousins."_

_Harry knew what it was like to have people look at you with questions and pity in their eyes and said, "I promise" before apparating home with his young son._

Frightened blue eyes, their life slipping out of them, stared into his unwavering green ones before the man dressed in a black cloak fell dead on the ground. David, running as fast as he could, never seeing the green light coming after him, was stricken and crumbled into a small heap, the sun shining brightly, cruelly illuminating the horrid scene.

Albus startled awake, opening his eyes to darkness. Both of his parents were still asleep, his father on his right and mother on his left. They had insisted that Albus sleep in their room about three weeks ago so that they would be right next to him in case he had nightmares. Albus was grateful when they told him he would be sleeping with them so he didn't have to ask.

Only the first few nights, after his father was worried it wasn't healthy to take dreamless potion every night, were the worse. He kept on seeing David's murder repeated again and again until he was shaken awake by his father, who was the first to hear Albus' mournful moans. After the first week, Rowle's death plagued his dreams along with that of his friend's passing. He didn't make noise anymore during the dreams because he always woke himself up before they got too hard to handle. Usually the dreams only came once a night if he woke himself up, which enabled him to go back to sleep about an hour after and go about the next day with enough sleep to function.

He felt he had a good grasp on being able to handle the nightmares that were now coming every other night and planned on telling his parents he would like to sleep in his own room again. It was lucky James had slept in their parent's room himself last year after Uncle Ron told him about giant spiders otherwise he would have taunted Albus when he saw him coming out of the room a few days ago early in the morning. A silent truce was made and nothing was mentioned at breakfast. James had noticed that something was off with Albus, but didn't question his brother when his parents had said his friend moved. (The parents agreed to tell the children that David had moved away to America, where his parents were from, and only tell the adults what had happened.)

Albus awoke again around six in the morning, soft light touching the curtains in his parent's bedroom. He carefully made his way off the bed without disturbing them and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

He entered the dark room, careful to keep his eyes from meeting his image in the mirror despite the lack of light from the window in the early morning. It was only four days ago that he had been in the room, washing his face, when he had let his mind wonder to the moment when he had first fought back against Rowle. He had wanted nothing more than to get away from the man that had harmed David. He remembered feeling mad and then determined to get the out of the man's grip. He wondered what would have happened if he had just ran away instead of hitting the man in the chest where his heart was. Albus knew he most likely would have been hit, hexed, or cursed if he didn't do what he did. But then he wondered if he had intentionally meant to stop Rowle's heart. He was positive he hadn't meant to before he went through the moment he had run forward, the magic surging in his hand, repeatedly until he looked into the mirror.

His reflection had made him shudder and jump back in fear, hitting against the towel cupboard hard. He didn't notice the ache because that brief instance of what was seen mortified him. His face had held no empathy, compassion, or any trace of humaneness. The green eyes, which had, before, looked so much like his father's, had been devoid of mercy and seemed to contain a look of beguilingly gentle ferocity. It was a face, he knew, that spoke of the readiness of being ruthless without a hint of hesitation. He had run out of the room, away from the mirror and the stranger it had reflected, and into his own room where he locked himself in his closet until it was time for breakfast. Since then he hadn't been able to look into a mirror since.

About an hour after leaving the bathroom had him, mirror avoided, on a chair that he had moved by the window. He was reading a tome about offensive spells that belonged to his father, which he only decided to read until they woke up, but then found himself immersed in, until his parent's began to stir.

He gently closed the book and placed it back where he found it, made his way to the bed, climbed on it and sat crossed legged so that he was the first thing they saw when they sat up.

"What is it Albus?" his mother asked, eyes half bleary and with bed head hair. It was good fortune that Lily was even tempered since she was a baby, otherwise the occurrence of messy hair would be much more regular. "Was it another nightmare?" she asked, her face becoming concerned. His father quickly sat up, squinting at his son as his right hand searched the nightstand for his glasses.

Albus quickly shook his head, his mind flashing back to the day he and his dad had apparated in the adjoining room where his mother was threatening to hex an Auror if he didn't get out of her way so that she could go and aid her husband and child. His father had quickly rushed into the room to stop his wife, giving Albus a glance of his mother looking fiercer than he had ever seen her. Her eyes were blazing like the color of her hair, her stance aggressive and her wand ready to attack the poor red cloaked wizard who looked more than slightly scared. From the state of his charred robes, Albus had figured she had already sent some spells his way, which looked as if he had barely escaped, trained as he was. His mother was not to be trifled with.

When she saw them she had ran to embrace them both, tears forming in her eyes. It turned out Albus' grandmother, just ten minutes before, had seen both of his and his father's picture on the clock she had facing "mortal peril". She immediately sent a patronus to her daughter who was then intercepted by an Auror that bid her to stay at home so she wouldn't be in danger. Once she had found them both sound, though, she quickly chewed out her husband for having an Auror hold her back by his orders. It momentarily distracted both of the male Potters from the distressing situation they had been in shorty before.

"No, mum," he answered. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to sleep in my own room from now on. I'm not having so many nightmares anymore."

"Are you sure?" his father asked, glasses on now and looking at his son with the same concern his wife was.

Albus nodded. He couldn't lie in his parent's room forever and it had almost been an entire month. Seeing David's body had helped him come to some sort of understanding that his friend was gone and, however much it hurt, that there was nothing he could do about it. He had never dreamed of seeing his friend's body, at least not when he had been turned over. It had always been his actual moment of death that still haunted Albus. And that of Rowle's last moments also. He forced himself not to think of his reflection in the mirror.

He needed privacy to think about what he did to that, what he heard his father call, Death Eater; whatever that was. Judging by the name, he obviously knew it was nothing good. His father had thought it was the combined hexes that had killed the evil man, but Albus knew he was the cause and the hexes probably made it quicker, if indeed they had any effect at all. He would need to ask his father what those men wanted with him in the first place. He wondered if his father would tell him if he asked. Would he feel that he was too young to know? Could his father even talk about his job outside of the Ministry of Magic?

"I'm sure" Albus said with a firm voice, or as firm as he could make it, being only seven. He didn't feel like he himself lately. James was playing with his more often, having come home with Lily from their grandmother's house to see Albus in a distressed state. His brother was concerned and tried to cheer him up, much to Albus' appreciation. It made him feel normal and like his old self when James brought up a game of exploding snap or any of the new products Uncle Ron sent him home with, even though his brother could be a bit aggressive at times. When they played with Lily he was always careful to be more gentle, which suited Albus just fine as well. He didn't want to consider what he could be capable of if he got too upset even though he knew he would never intentionally hurt anyone in his family. The thought still scared him nonetheless.

Later after breakfast, his dad leaving through the floo network when an urgent call came through, and when his brother and sister had left for the burrow, Albus had found himself and his mother the only occupants in the house. It wasn't the first time, though. He often stayed at home lately, not able to take the looks his grandparents, Aunts and his many Uncles who, not so inconspicuously, visited the burrow the same time he was there had given him. It also made his cousins and even his brother, who was always up to a joke or laugh, notice something off.

"Mum," Albus said, suddenly noticing something, "why aren't you at work at the Ministry? You've been home an awful lot lately."

"Hmm?" his mother answered, avoiding the question momentarily. Albus wasn't fooled. "I'm taking a short holiday, dear. The department doesn't need my input all the time. There are plenty of people who know Quidditch backward and forward as much as I do. Your father can even do it."

Albus looked at his mother washing dishes manually even though she could clean them with a spell and was struck with the realization that his mum was a good liar. His father was easier to see through when he fibbed. The difference interested him for a bit.

"When do you go back?" he asked after a while, bringing his empty glass of orange juice to the sink.

"Probably soon" she answered, taking the glass from his hand with only a brief look at him.

A sudden idea struck him. An idea he found to be a ridiculously simple way to get some questions answered and perhaps do some accomplished searching.

"Can I come with you?" he asked innocently. "To work, I mean."

His mother looked down at him, first surprised then with a smile.

"Of course, Al," she said, happily. "That's a great idea."


	5. Lupin's Flowers

**A/N: It's been a really long time since I last updated. I cannot tell you how unexpected my life changed during that time. A LOT has happened and it was a lot to sort through and handle; both good and bad. Anyway, I've been plotting some more and now present you with what I've come up with. Hope you all like it. I really hope I can update every week from now on. I like this story a lot and it's rewarding to finish a chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter! Just not in this universe. **

**Chapter 5: Lupin's Flowers**

_A sudden idea struck him. An idea he found to be a ridiculously simple way to get some questions answered and perhaps do some accomplished searching._

"_Can I come with you?" he asked innocently. "To work, I mean."_

_His mother looked down at him, first surprised then with a smile._

"_Of course, Al," she said, happily. "That's a great idea."_

Albus had to wait a few days before his mother went back to work, which he was fine with. Teddy had come by to visit and he was to stay for the weekend. Everyone loved him, especially Lily because he always made her things with his wand and changed hair color to amuse her.

Teddy was fifteen and had recently finished his fourth year at Hogwarts, a place which fascinated all of the Potter children. He had told them he wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school but always succumbed to their begging.

"_Orchideous_,_"_ Teddy moved his wand in a circular motion, conjuring a bouquet of flowers out of the end of his wand. He took one out and gave it to Lily then gave the rest to Mrs. Potter.

"Teddy," Ginny said, half stern, for the display of magic out of school. She didn't mind a little magic, really. Her twin brothers always experimented without getting badly hurt. The action reminded her of Fred, which made her both happy and sad.

"Sorry, Mrs. P," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck and ducking his head. He saw that she put them in a vase on the kitchen table, so he figured he wasn't in that much trouble.

Albus could feel his face contract into one of concentration. He had felt something flutter in the air around the area where Teddy conjured the flowers. He wondered why it hadn't happened before when he realized his parents have been avoiding using their wands around him since the day at the park. They were probably being considerate of what he'd seen, but that didn't explain why he could feel magical matter in the air when the spell was cast. He knew he had to get to the bottom of it. From what he knew, nobody could feel magic when they or others cast a spell.

"When will Harry be in, Mrs. P?" Teddy asked, giving Ginny a small smile that reminded her so much of Remus. They were both gentle characters and, with the exception of having somewhat of his mother's heart-shaped face, looked slightly more like his father than his mother and the resemblance would have stuck out if his hair color was brown instead of the blue he had arrived with. He definitely had Tonk's skill in being a Metamorphmagus.

"I don't know for sure, Ted," Ginny replied, "Harry's schedule has been irregular lately. But I'm sure he'll be back before it's too late in the evening."

"It's just," Teddy continued, hesitantly, "I wanted to ask you two some things about my parents." He looked anxious at the prospect.

"Of course," Ginny said, in total understanding, "When Harry gets home, we can talk about it over tea in the parlor. Are you hungry? We ate just before you got here."

"Sounds great," Teddy said as he grew out his hair, which was now ginger, when Lily tugged on it. "And sure, I could use a bite to eat."

"Lily, stop that. It isn't nice to pull on other's hair," Ginny scolded, making Lily look contrite.

"Sorry, Teddy," Lily said in a small voice, her sad brown eyes looking down at the floor.

"It's alright, Lil, didn't hurt at all," Teddy said, trying to lift her spirits, "But only because I can grow it," he added to make sure Ginny's lesson to her daughter was learned.

"You have to play Quidditch with us after you eat," James blurted, not able to hold back what he wanted to do any longer. If he had it his way, they would already be outside and in the air on their broomsticks.

"You bet," Teddy chuckled as Ginny placed some sandwiches and pumpkin juice on the table for him. "What have you been up to, Al?"

Albus wondered if he knew about David and the Death Eaters. His expression when asking the question didn't seem to ask anything beneath the surface. Albus was about to answer when his brother piped in.

"He's been down since his Muggle friend went back to America," James said, earning a disapproving look from his mother. "Well, he is!" he added to his mother, as justification.

"I'm sorry, Al," Ted said, "It's hard saying bye to friends, especially when they live so far away."

Albus could feel his mother's eyes on him, worry etched in them. "It's okay, really. We had lots of fun together and we promised to write each other."

Teddy nodded approvingly before biting into his sandwich.

Albus waited a little while to hear about his cousins Victoire, who just finished her second year, and Dominique, who just finished her first, when his mother asked Teddy about them before heading towards the living room to go out to the garden.

"Al?" His mother called, trying to mask her voice from worry as best she could.

"I'm just going for a walk around the house, mum," he said when he peaked his head into the kitchen with a smile on his face to let her know he wasn't that upset with David coming up in the conversation. He didn't want to make her distressed.

It did hurt when he thought about David. And he wasn't eating as much as he used to, which concerned his mother. He knew, though, that there was nothing he could do to change the fact that David was gone and never coming back, no matter what he did.

"What I can do," he thought, "is make sure I can protect those I love by learning all I can about what lead up to David's death and about magic. Starting with that flower spell."

Albus walked around the front hedges to the side of the house where his mother grew an assortment of plants, both magical and ordinary. She often used them for home remedies like his grandmother did. Though the pond in their garden was smaller than at the burrow, it was neater and whatever plant they needed could be easily found. He walked to the rose bush where there were blooms and buds alike. He didn't think he could conjure a bouquet without a wand, but he had to try something. He carefully picked the smallest buds off of the vine, three in total.

Putting two on a wooden plank that supported the vines, he focusing on one bud and remembered how he made the spells Rowle aimed at him bounce off an invisible shield. Soon he felt the tingle again but only in his hands. Before he could react, the bud burst into flames and turned to ash. He turned his hand, letting the wind take the ash away. He picked up another bud, another theory on how to make it bloom on his mind.

He took a few seconds, trying not to think about being offensive or scared as he had been that day. He instead concentrated on only feeling the magic flowing in him. He applied the current of magic to the bud. Albus smiled widely when the rose started to grow, the vine getting longer and the bud gradually blooming.

"Oh no," he muttered, when the rose continued on so much that it died, withering to nothing but a shriveled, black rose, it's red petals dying and falling off.

Albus took the last bud in his hand, determined to get it right. He focused again on the magic current and applied it to the bud. The plant grew again, slower than last time, and gradually bloomed into a beautiful red rose with a deep green stem. Albus stopped the stream of magic to the flower and waited a few seconds to see what would happen.

After a full minute, he sighed in relief, knowing he succeeded this time. Excitement suddenly flooding through him, he held out his right hand in a fist and concentrated on his magic again. He visualized a simple yellow flower before turning his hand around and opening it, finding a head of a flower with yellow petals.

"Yes!" he shouted out, jumping up and down.

He tried again and again, until all he had to do was twirl his hand and have a whole flower between his thumb and forefinger.

"What did you just do?!" came a cry from the opening of the garden. Albus turned around, a bouquet of different colored flowers with a rose in the center in his left hand, the latest flower still in his right, to see his brother looking at him as if Albus had gone mad.

"Bullocks," Albus muttered, dread filling his stomach.


	6. Magic and Family

**A/N: Hey all! I'm going to try to use more descriptions and details in my story. I've been taking for granted the detail enriched books of our good author, J.K. Rowling. I don't know how good I'll be at it, but I'll give it my best shot anyway. I'll also try to make the chapters a little longer, too, if I can.**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. My dreams, however sweet they are, lie to me.**

**Chapter 6: Magic and Family**

_He tried again and again, until all he had to do was twirl his hand and have a whole flower between his thumb and forefinger._

"_What did you just do?!" came a cry from the opening of the garden. Albus turned around, a bouquet of different colored flowers with a rose in the center in his left hand, the latest flower still in his right, to see his brother looking at him as if Albus had gone mad._

"_Bullocks," Albus muttered, dread filling his stomach. _

Green eyes met brown as Albus looked into the scandalized face of his older brother, thankful it was James and not his mother who found him there. Maybe he could convince James to keep this quiet.

"Er, I can explain," Albus stated weakly, his mind quickly trying to devise a story.

"Do you have any idea what Mum's going to do to you once she finds out you've picked her flowers?" James asked, waving his broom around in a frantic manner. "She can hit pretty hard, you know?"

"Well, you see, I—wait, what?" Albus couldn't believe his ears.

"Yeah!" James continued, rubbing his hand through his messy black hair that he inherited from their father. "I picked a flower from her Flutterby Bush last year and couldn't sit down for a whole day. I only wanted to catch some insects with it since it seemed to attract bugs."

Albus breathed out in relief, realizing he had been holding his breathe. James thought he picked the flowers from their mother's garden. He felt he could almost laugh as the tension in his muscles relaxed, feeling himself become lighter; both mentally and physically.

"The type of flower you picked only blooms once after a lot of years, James. Mum probably got mad because she put a lot of work into keeping it neat and healthy. It must have taken her a lot of time to get that bush the way it is." Albus explained, remembering asking about the plant to Aunt Hermione because it was one of the few that shook in the garden. He could see why it would be tempting to pick a flower off of the Flutterby Bush. From the drawing in a book his aunt showed him, they ranged from vivid dark red mixed with black to blue and orange. "And I only picked a rose. The rest of these are weeds," he lied.

"How many years," James asked, rubbing his backside as if he could still feel the sting.

"About a hundred, I think," Albus answered, trying to school the features on his face, fearful he would laugh in both humor at his brother's story and the fact that he managed to escape notice of his doing magic without a wand. He knew accidental magic happened when someone was feeling angry, scared, or threatened, but was sure not many witches or wizards his age were able to do what he just did, albeit minor compared to other spells done by older people. He had just gotten over speaking with a lisp, for goodness sake.

"Well, I guess you'll be fine, then," James said, the slightly pained look on his face at the memory of getting punished abating some from the information of how rare the flower he picked was. "Come on, Teddy will be out any minute to play Quidditch with us."

Albus told him he'd be there soon before turning back to the assortment of flowers he had conjured. He'd seen his parents make things go away into, what seemed to be, thin air. He tried remembering some moments where they did this and then concentrated hard on the flowers in his hand.

Looking around to make sure nobody was near or watching (James having gone ahead) he gave a mix of a twist and turn of his hand; the whole cluster of flower disappearing almost as instantaneous as the act. There was no mistaking the magical tinge in the air where it vanished. He reasoned he felt this magical trace more than he had when making individual flowers because the number was simply larger.

He didn't have much time to celebrate his feat, though, as he heard his name being called from a distance. Albus ran inside to fetch his broomstick, a big smile set on his face the entire match through. They all played for some time before oncoming clouds that were threatening to storm since the morning finally released their burden.

"Aww," moaned James as the rain came down hard, pausing with the Quaffle they had gotten from their mother in his right hand, still held in the air as he was about to pass it. "Let's keep playing. It won't hurt to fly in a little bit of water." His robes were already darkened with the water that fell on them.

Teddy laughed at the notion and turned to leave, James and Albus following close next to him as the rain fell even harder. "And have your mother have my hide for it?" he said as they all flew towards the Victorian house. "And remember what happened that last time we played on a windy day? You got hit on the face and lost a tooth."

"That tooth was wobbly anyway," James pouted, as they landed under the veranda of the house.

Albus was having fun listening to the conversation. Although James did lose a tooth that one time, he would have agreed to stay outside with him, despite the weather. He found that he greatly preferred the dark swirls of gray and black clouds than that of a clear blue sky. Dry ground reminded him of the rising dust from David's impact on the ground; blue the color of the hollowed eyes of a man he watched the life forsake, because of him, and the sun — that sun that violently highlighted everything in excruciating detail.

"Mum, dry our clothes for us!" James called out when they all stepped into the house. Their robes were soaked and dripping water onto the carpet. Albus quickly made his way to his room before their mother came, Teddy wisely following his lead, heading for the guest bedroom.

"You will go to your room right now and get changed, James Potter," Albus heard his mother chastise his brother from his room. He couldn't help but smile as his big brother still tried to weasel a way to get her to dry his clothes. He was still at it by what Al could hear when James passed by the door to get to his room down the hall. He was always trying to get or do something in order to amuse himself. Sometimes it worked with more bendable personalities than their mother, but Albus knew James would never be able to make their Mum relent to his will where she was serious.

Another idea struck Albus. Thinking hard on what he wanted to accomplish, he brought his right hand up above his head and then brought it down in a quick motion, a single wave just in front of himself. The effect was immediate. His hair was fully dry, the water dripping there before evaporated. The clothes were still a little damp, but far from how soaked and, in turn, heavy they had been.

"I'm home!" called his father from the parlor just after Albus changed into new robes, not wanting questions as to how he was dry without changing.

Albus heard his brother burst from his room exclaiming, "Dad!", before he even had the chance to touch his own doorknob.

"Guess what, Dad, Teddy's here! We just got through playing Quidditch before it started to rain too hard to go on," Albus heard James excitedly explain as he made his way to the parlor, Teddy joining him on the way.

"Really," Harry asked as he picked up Lily, Ginny then kissing him as a 'welcome home'. His eyes looked a little tired behind his glasses due to the stress of recent work that involved solving the mystery of those Death Eaters. His delight in coming home to his family was very evident in them, though; their brightness easily contrasting with the red Auror robes he wore.

"Did you give your mother a hard time when you came in the house?" Harry asked, knowing his son's antics very well.

"Only a little," James admitted in a small voice, averting his gaze.

"Heya Harry," Teddy greeted from the entrance of the parlor.

"Teddy! It's great to see you," Harry said, happy to see his godson. "Been having fun with Al and James, I hear. Hope my sons behaved themselves." He added, eying James in particular, who suddenly found the fireplace very interesting.

"They're as bad as trolls, I tell you," Teddy joked, earning a, "Hey!", from James.

Lily began laughing at the comparison, showing pink gums where two baby teeth previously were. The rest of the family were smiling soon after and made their way to the living room.

"Tell me how you're grandmother's doing," Harry asked. The conversation on various family members and events were talked about before they were called to the dining room by Ginny for dinner. She had gone to the kitchen earlier with James; making him help her, much to his chagrin.

"What kinds of spells did you learn at Hogwarts, Teddy?" Albus asked before he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. He waited a long time before mentioning any type of wand related topics. He knew he was being really paranoid and cautious, but if his parents refrained from using their own wands around him, despite them being a witch and wizard with their lives depending on doing magic, he didn't know what they would do next in order to shield him from what happened with David and the Death Eaters. His mother did say he could go with her to the Ministry, though. She wouldn't take that back, he hoped.

Sure enough, Al saw his parents share a look before Teddy responded. Albus had to fight the urge to groan. He was a wizard at the end of the day, no matter what happened. He knew why they were doing it, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Hmm," Teddy thought for a second, "I've learned a range of charms and defensive spells. There's the anti-hexing charm, the impediment jinx, which can trip or knock down a person, a simple healing charm, and the banishing charm, which can summon things. There are others, of course, but I like these."

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts!" James said excitedly, accidently spewing bits of food on the table. "I'll no doubt be in Gryffindor, right Dad; right Mum? You two were both in that house."

"James, don't talk with your mouth full," Ginny scolded, "And yes, your father and I were both sorted into Gryffindor. So were most of your aunts and your uncles. And all of your cousins, so far."

"And on the Quidditch team as well," Teddy added as an answer to James. "I heard from Professor Neville that Harry could've played on a professional Quidditch team if he wanted, what with him being the youngest Seeker in a century to be chosen to play for a house."

"Really, Dad?" James asked, practically hopping in his seat, making the fork in his hand hit against the table, making 'thunk, tink' sounds. "Why didn't you play for a Quidditch team like Mum did? It would have been so cool!"

Harry chuckled, slightly shaking his head. "It would have been fun, no doubt," he said, ruffling his son's hair playfully, "but I found something to do that wouldn't only benefit me, but other people, too. Not to mention your Uncle Ron wouldn't have let me be until I played for the Chudley Cannons if I had decided to play Quidditch."

"He's a true Gryffindor to be able to support that team. Only daring nerve can explain his obsession with them," Ginny laughed at the expense of her brother, a slight fire from her past when she was in the air playing Quidditch alight in her eyes.

"Speaking of Neville," Ginny went on, her laughter subsiding at that point, "how is he as a professor? He was good in Herbology, right, dear?"

"He was," Harry said, nodding his head. "Wasn't too bad in DADA either, back in school. He's definitely one of the bravest people I know, that's for sure. Blimey, haven't had him over here in a good while. We should invite him here soon. It'd be good to see Hannah, too."

"All of my classmates like him," Teddy said, "We all think it's cool that he lives above the Leaky Cauldron. And we were all impressed when he showed us the coin from Dumbledore's Army. I must say, that is one clever piece of magic. Hermione really is a great witch. You remember the letters I sent in the beginning of the school year? I'm happy he revived the club," he looked excited; remembering when he saw the pamphlets in the Common room, "Headmaster McGonagall was only too happy to give her approval. We think it's great he knows so much about Defense Against the Dark Arts. He could probably teach the class himself. It's helped everyone raise their grades in that class and he's not even teaching it." Teddy gave a small chuckle.

"He wrote to me about that," Harry said, remembering the letter from Neville. He had said it brought back old memories, more good than bad. "He was very excited about it, if his letter is anything to go by. That club meant a lot to many people."

"Maybe you can visit when you go to give your lecture to the DADA class?" Teddy suggested. "I think everyone would be excited, seeing as you're the founder of the club."

"One of the founders," Harry corrected, feeling himself become self-conscience. "It was really Hermione's idea. And I suppose Ron's, too. Ginny created the name, also."

"What does everyone do in the club?" Albus asked; his curiosity piqued.

His mother shot his dad a look and Al had to physically bite his tongue to keep himself from saying anything. He felt grateful, again, that it was James who caught him in the garden and not his mother, even if James thought he had picked the flowers. He had the feeling his Mum would've suspected some use of magic.

"I'd have to describe it as a dueling club, if anything," Teddy replied. "We take what we learn in our Defense class and practice it with other students. During the last few months Professor Neville taught us some advanced spells. If there's a club to join, that's the one. We already have so many people the school had to lend us the Great Hall. Though next year it'll probably be more organized and have time slots stating what years can practice at certain times."

"Your father sort of gave us the starting idea to really form the D.A., I imagine," Harry said, making Teddy's eyes go wide in surprise, his fork pausing halfway to his mouth. "He didn't know about it, of course. He was the first Professor we had to actually let us do some magic in our Defense class and he taught me how to do the Patronus Charm. Everyone liked him, even though he only stayed for a year."

"Anyway, I'm sure his class was one of the factors that gave Hermione the ideal for us to do actual practice that would help other students in my fifth year. We were only taught theory during that particular year, with an ugly toad for a teacher."

Albus saw his father's jaw clench and right hand flex into a fist, the light from the candles in the room reflecting off a bit of scar tissue that had caught the light. He'd noticed the marks before, but not so much as he did at that moment.

"Teddy wants to talk to us about some things regarding his parents. I told him we'd talk in the parlor," Ginny said, also noticing Harry's reaction to the reference of Umbridge.

"Right," Ted agreed, "I wanted to ask you two, since you knew them quite well."

Before Harry could respond, there was a loud 'CLUNK' and they all turned to see that Lily had dozed off, her spoon having slipped from her hand, and her red hair falling into her face.

"Time for bed, you lot," Ginny said to her children, earning a groan from her oldest.

"But Mum—" he began, before being cut off.

"I didn't know you enjoyed helping me make dinner so much, James. Would you like to help me tomorrow as well?" Ginny asked; false wonder in her voice.

"My, well, would you look at the time?" James said loudly, looking his wrist that didn't have a watch on it. He yawned loudly and went to give his Dad, who had picked up a sleeping Lily, a hug. "Good night, ol' chap, I'll see you at breakfast. You as well," he added to Ted.

"Where does he get this from?" Harry asked chuckling as James quickly made his way to get ready for bed.

"His Uncles, I'm guessing," Ted answered smiling. He got up from his seat and started to help take dishes to the sink as Harry took Lily to bed.

"Oh, there's no need, Teddy," Ginny began.

"It's the least I can do, Mrs. P. The meal was delicious, by the way," Teddy said.

"Thank you, Ted. You should visit more often. You're coming back for Harry's birthday on Friday, I hope," Ginny said, turning on the water for the dishes to soak in.

"Wouldn't miss it," Teddy responded. "Does the spell you use to clean the dishes work better after they soak?"

"Yeah," Ginny answered, still placing dishes in the water. "Al, it's time to get ready for bed, love."

"Ok, Mum," Albus said, handing her the dishes he was holding. "I love you," he hugged her before going to brush his teeth.

"I love you too, Al," his mother said, hugging him tight. "I'll tuck you into bed before you go to sleep."

Albus nodded and headed for the bathroom. He knew his mother was avoiding using her wand in front of him again. His grandma always used magic to clean up around the house and never had to soak any dishes for them to come out sparkling.

SMACK

"Ow!" Albus clutched his forehead where he hit himself with his palm once he realized something. "I'm so stupid."

Albus figured out why his parents didn't use their wands around him. He wasn't going to his grandparent's house at all lately. And there was sure to be magic going on at the Burrow. What they thought he was avoiding (wands and magic) was actually him not wanting to see the look of pity in his relatives' eyes for him. On top of that, both his mother and his father had been avoiding using magic in front of him even before he had stopped going over. It was so obvious now. But for such a conclusion for them to make…

"Well," Albus thought, "I guess it makes sense. There's no David because of a wand. And they think Rowle died because of it, too. They both know I saw them die right before my eyes."

Albus brushed his teeth, avoiding looking at the mirror still; deep in thought. Even if he didn't like seeing wands and magic, they weren't the real reasons two people had died that day. Muggle weapons can easily kill other Muggles, right? People were the reason other people died. It's why he couldn't even look at his own reflection in the mirror. Objects just made it easier than bare hands or, say, a big rock, or even something else. He sighed, wondering how he was going to straighten the misunderstanding out. He needed to find out about these Death Eaters and learn how to protect his family. To do that, though, he would have to listen in on his parent's and Teddy's conversation.

Mr. and Mrs. Lupin both died in the Second Wizarding War. He knew that because James had asked some time ago about them to their parents. Albus had wondered the same thing not too long before his brother had asked. His father was an Auror and Aurors had dealt with evil wizards during the war, right? Maybe the wizards Teddy's parents fought were Death Eaters as well. The situation was not ideal to find out what he wanted to know, but it was a perfect opportunity.

"Now, Al, don't wait to come to your father's and my room if you have a nightmare, okay, love?" His mother said as she tucked him into bed. "Do you want me to read you a story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard? I know you like The Fountain of Fair Fortune."

"No thanks, Mum," Albus responded. He had liked that story for a long while. His mind now, however, wondered to The Tales of the Three Brothers. He didn't want the wand. Too many people who were bad would want to take it from him if they ever found out he had it. He didn't want to endanger his or anyone else's life for a wand, no matter how powerful. He definitely didn't want the stone that claimed to bring back the dead. If there was one thing his father taught him it was that no one could come back from the dead, nor should anyone attempt to try to bring someone back. The deceased would be disturbed from their peace and not have a full life to live. The thought of David coming back only to be miserable tortured Albus to no end. If anything, he'd want the invisibility cloak. He would have been able to hide David and himself from those horrible men if he had had it. But he quickly pushed those thoughts away. The Tales of Beedle the Bard were just stories. There was no wand, stone or cloak in the world that did what the story said they did. And if there were, he had been no way of knowing he would have needed to bring the cloak to the park in the first place, even if he did have it.

Besides, he had been reading other books lately. His father's books on offensive and defensive spells, actually. They were advanced, but the descriptions on what they did were very detailed. These were the books with real information that would help him protect the ones he loved.

"Alright," Ginny said, bending down to kiss his forehead, "Sleep well."

Albus waited a little for the clinking of china for tea to stop before getting out of bed and sneaking down the hall. The parlor doors were almost shut, but there was a crack that light from the fireplace spilled through. He sat with his back against the small sitting couch that was near the entrance, turning his ear towards the opening.

"—great people, too," came his father's voice. "I'm sure you already know about your father being affected with lycanthropy, both from your grandmother and from certain books that talk specifically about the war. He was a damn good man, and nobody who knew him ever saw him as anything less than the brilliant wizard that he was, I assure you. Ginny and I have discussed what we were going to do when you wanted to know about your parents. Rather than just talk about them, we thought you would like to see them."

"But," Teddy began, his voice somewhat affected, "how is that possible?"

"We've already gathered our memories of your parents," Harry said. There was a pause and Albus had the suspicion his father was showing Teddy something. He wondered how one can extract and show someone else's memory. "Headmaster McGonagall has an object that belonged to the previous Headmaster and we're close friends. I plan to write to her and ask if we can borrow Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve so you can see our memories of both your parents."

"Th-that would be amazing," Teddy said, his voice reflecting how affected he was by what Harry and Ginny proposed. "It would be one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive."

"We can wait until after you've seen our memories to talk about your parents, if you prefer." Ginny said, after a short pause, "You'll most likely have a lot of questions answered by seeing them first."

Albus assumed he had nodded because his father spoke next.

"We should have the Pensieve by my birthday. You can have all the time you need to see it then."

"Oh, I can wait until the day after, surely," Teddy responded, voice heavy with emotion.

"Let's make it after the celebrations," Harry said. "We'll be off with Ron and Hermione for the night and Mrs. Weasley has volunteered to watch after the kids here at the house. It would be the perfect time to have the privacy you need while everyone is asleep."

"Thank you," Teddy said.

Albus quickly hid behind the other side of the couch when he heard someone head for the entrance. After a few minutes, Al gave a sigh and was about to head back to his room when he still heard murmurs from the parlor. His parents were still talking.

"—nice for him to see his parents," Ginny's voice drifted into the hallway. "I'm happy you had the ideal to use the Pensieve, Harry."

"I thought it would be the best way for him to know his parents," he responded. "Give him the chance to see his parents through his own eyes, in a way, and not just from the mouth of a person, no matter how much they knew them."

There was a long silence.

"Albus," Ginny said, causing Al to jump, his stomach falling, and feeling as if he got doused from head to foot in cold water, "he wants to go to the Ministry. I told him it was a good ideal."

Albus took a few minutes to calm the racing of his heart. He thought he had got caught eavesdropping and did not like the feeling at all.

"He asked about spells earlier, dear," his father responded. "I don't think he has any problems seeing magic being done."

"I just thought… that maybe that was the reason he avoided going over to my parent's house," Ginny said. "I mean, he didn't go as often as James and Lily did even before what happened to David, but afterwards the visits just seemed really unpleasant to him."

"It's hard being looked at with a lot of attention, especially the kind everyone was giving him, no matter how hard they tried not to," Harry said with sympathy. "And Albus is so young, too. I'm sure he just wanted to be let alone to handle it the best way he could."

"You're right," Ginny agreed. "It was silly of me to suggest him being wary of magic."

"You were just worried, dear," Harry said, taking his wife's hand. "Any good parent would be."

Albus had placed his head on his knees, which he had brought up and wrapped his arms around as he listened to them talk. He was right about his guess. He was happy his father seemed to understand.

"My department is still trying to figure out what those Death Eaters were doing there." Albus got on all fours and crawled towards the door. "They shouldn't have been able to have escaped Azkaban. Nobody has been able to escape by themselves since Sirius and that was only because he was an Animagus. We think they had inside help. There are no more Dementors at the prison. They were done away with long ago."

"It can't involve Voldemort. He's dead, Harry, you made sure of that. The war ended on that day," Albus heard his mother say, his head reeling. His father had killed someone? And it had stopped the last war?

"He killed himself," Harry said, seeming to have read Albus' thoughts, even though he didn't know his son was listening. "And I know. He's gone. I just feel like there's something else going on beneath the surface. Death Eaters were his followers, which he picked to follow him, and, with the exception of only a few, who all did, without question or reserve. And they attacked my son!"

Albus jumped at the rage in his father's voice. He was positive his face matched the one Al had seen when he had arrived to save him. Furious.

"They attacked our son," Ginny said calmly, but still with a strong note of protection for her child. "And they're never going to take anyone from us again, Harry; especially not our children. Not with us here."

"A lot of people died for me, Ginny," Harry said, "for me and for the end of the war. Remus lost his best friends, his wife, and seeing the future of his son, in order to help bring an end to it, as did countless others. I don't want to lose anyone else to a possible uprising of dark wizards, no matter if the war has ended. And I refuse to let my children be in danger."

"I know, love," Ginny said, hugging her husband. "We won't let that happen."

Albus, who was standing at that point, silently agreed. He wouldn't let those he loved be in danger. He had to see those memories. What happened in the war had something to do with his father and by knowing what his father's involvement had been he would most likely get the answers to his questions. And the key to his success.

**A/N: Okay, this chapter took a little longer than I thought it would, but it is the longest chapter I've written so far. There are just a few more chapters until Albus gets to Hogwarts and I'm anxious for him to do so. I've been making characters up for this fanfic and I wanna see what I can do with them. **


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